Vane pumps are widely used in many devices and systems, for creating low pressure within a desired region. These pumps have a variety of applications in the automotive industry; for example, in supercharging, braking assistance, and steering mechanisms. By continuously sucking the air from the desired region, these pumps create low pressure within the region. Typical examples of such vane pumps include rotary vane pumps and variable displacement vane pumps.
Many of the vane pumps are driven electrically, by coupling them to a power supply source. When used in vehicles, the vane pumps are generally controlled by an electronic control unit, which switches the pump on and off based on certain conditions. For example, when a vehicle is found to be in stationary state, the control unit may switch off the vane pump, and restart the pump when the vehicle starts moving again, or in a case where vacuum is specifically requested. Further, certain control units control operations of the vane pumps by identifying the state of the engine of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle's engine is turned off or a specific vacuum level is achieved, the control unit generates signals for switching off the pump.
During continuous operations of a vane pump for an extended period of time, the pump may develop an undesirably high temperature within its internal components. This may affect the operations and functionality of the pump. The high temperature may result from the current flowing through the brushes of the pump (if the pump is electrically driven), friction in the vanes, and other causes, including radiation of heat from the combustion engine. In addition, if there is a defect in the electronic control unit coupled to the pump, the pump may be left turned on during undesirable moments, such as, when the engine is turned off, or the vehicle is stationary.
The mechanical components of a pump may get destroyed if the pump's temperature rises beyond a certain limit during operations. In such cases, the pump needs to be replaced by an expert personal, resulting in unnecessary expenses and interruptions in use of the device/system wherein the pump is used.
Cooling mechanisms are sometimes employed within pumps to address this issue. However, in many cases, even with such conventional cooling mechanisms, it is difficult to control the temperature of the interior components of the pump.
Therefore, considering the aforementioned problems, there exists a need for cooling a pump in cases where the temperature of the pump rises beyond a specific limit.